Because of decreasing petrochemical raw material resources, which have been primarily used as fuel in the combustion engines of motor vehicles, the development of mobility concepts where vehicles are operated with battery- or accumulator-driven electric motors, either alone or in combination with an additional non-electrical energy source, (e.g. as a so-called hybrid-drive) is increasing.
As a consequence, in the future, traditional 14-volt motor vehicle electrical systems may be supplemented or completely replaced with vehicle electrical systems with significantly higher voltages of 200-750 volts. If this occurs, the connecting systems that have been used until now may not be suitable to handle the phenomena related to such high voltages.
At the same time, it may not be possible to simply use the connection concepts of stationary technologies, where similarly high voltages are used, because they are not designed for the conditions prevalent in motor vehicles.
In particular, the connections may need to be developed in such a manner that the vibrations created in the operation of the motor vehicle do not negatively impact the quality of the connection in the medium- or long-term. This specifically concerns the quality of the cable contacts, which are often shielded cables having much larger inner cable diameters (e.g., exceeding 50 mm2) of copper, but also increasingly of aluminum (including alloys of each).
Furthermore, high demands are made on connections for electric and hybrid motor vehicles with respect to tightness. The infiltration of debris such as, for example, oil, anti-freeze agents, road salt, liquid water or dust, which could have a negative impact on the quality of the connection in the medium term, should be avoided.
The connections should be designed in such a way that temperatures of up to 200° C. which may be found in motor vehicles, do not impact the functionality of the motor vehicle electrical system.
Because of the close proximity to electronic devices such as, for example, the electrical entertainment systems of motor vehicles, a complete screening of the motor vehicle electrical system may need to be guaranteed in the connecting area as well.
Furthermore, current-carrying cables may cause injury during operation or during the assembly and/or maintenance of the motor vehicles, or in case of accidents.
Finally, improvements to the efficiency of the production and assembly of the connecting concepts may be made with respect to resources. For example, the effort in terms of capital, time and material may be reduced.